by Briana Crawford
The University of West Georgia’s College of Social Sciences presented “Research Day” March 26, 2014 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in TLC room 1305. The lecture hall was filled with faces from departments including Mass Communications, Criminology, Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology. The event, which allows students to showcase their noteworthy research projects, has been a tradition for the past seven years at UWG. With 14 projects presented, this year’s Research Day boasted the largest number of participating students to date.
Research Day winners (from left to right): Brittany Coomes, April Boatwright, Spencer Hall, Sarah Jones and Raychele Couey.
“The purpose of research day is to encourage undergraduate students to conduct more research and give important experience, insight and skills to help them further their future careers,” says Dr. Sooho Lee, associate professor of Political Science at UWG.
The academically enriching evening included students who covered a range of topics, including the Affordable Care Act, indentured servants, professional networking via social media and workers conditions. The students were judged based on specific criteria, and at the end of the presentations, first, second and third place winners are announced and awarded cash prizes.
“We evaluate student research in terms of the quality of their scholarship, what approach they took, quality of the research questions, what methods they took to answer their research questions and finally the quality of executing their message to the audience,” says Sara Phillips, limited-term assistant professor of Anthropology.
The overall winner and recipient of the largest cash prize of $250.00 was Anthropology major Sarah Jones with, “Picking the Pronoun Back Up: The Translation of Gender in Hiromu Arakawa’s ‘Fullmetal Alchemist.’” Second place was awarded to Anthropology students April Boatwright, Brittany Coomes and Spencer Hall for their presentation, “This Analysis is on Fire: Preliminary Analysis of a Probable Archaic Heart Feature in Phinizy Swamp, Augusta Georgia.” Third place was awarded to Raychele Couey a Mass Communications student, for her presentation “Framing the Candidates in the 2012 Presidential Elections by the Polarized Media.”
